OUR busy lives call for quick fixes when it comes to filling tummies – and peanut butter is a household hero. Whether it’s a breakfast spread on toast, time-saving sarnie on the way to work, an after-school snack or night-time treat, a good dollop always delivers. Crunchy or smooth, the protein-packed staple is also great with porridge – or spooned straight from the jar!. Laura Stott tries some crunchy supermarket offerings and gives her verdicts and marks out of five.

Market leader is instantly recognisable with its bright-yellow lid. But what also stands out is its small size. You get 40g less peanut butter with Sun-Pat compared to rivals, yet it is more than twice the price of most. If you don’t mind paying more, the flavour hits the spot, though, and bonus points for not containing palm oil. RATING: 3. I wasn’t too excited about how this looked because it seemed rather on the pale side, with an odd orange tinge.

But upon digging into the contents of the jar, things did improve. Although the ingredients say it is made with 95 per cent peanuts, I found this was not obvious to the taste. Pleasant enough to eat, if a little dull. RATING: 2. Great value – this was one of the cheapest of the options I tried. The peanut bits were quite large, which gives a rustic, homemade feel. But this also means that it isn’t the most sophisticated spread on the shelves.

I liked this best when it was spread on thinner crackers, because it is so thick. A bit of a bland and boring tub of peanut butter – but it will do just fine to throw in the trolley if you are running out of patience on your weekly shop. It just doesn’t deliver the most amplified of flavours. I dipped some apple and carrot slices into it, which resulted in a bit more crunch. But I’m not sure I’d buy this one again.

One of the more costly options, but I did really enjoy every mouthful of this delicious spread. Created with 97 per cent peanuts, which have been roasted, it is bursting with a scrumptious, almost caramel-like depth of flavour. Once I started tucking into this, it was hard to stop eating. RATING: 4. Made with 97 per cent peanuts, along with sugar, oil and salt, this is a cracker of a pot of crunchy, nutty goodness.

The taste was yummy – rich and full of flavour, pretty much like eating a handful of crushed peanuts. I also liked that it came in a glass jar rather than plastic tub. RATING: 5. In true Lidl “tribute” style, very similar in flavour to big-brand Sun-Pat. It also narrowly edges Sun-Pat’s 95 per cent peanuts per jar, with one per cent more for your money. It has a strong, nutty aroma and dark golden-orange colour, and packs a dense, full flavour when you bite in.